the favor (a Harry Styles fanfic)

26. greek row

Mandys POV:

My folded fist slams down on the front door of the sorority house, my breathing erratic. Crissy called a surprise meeting and sent a GroupMe message out to the members, but my phone had been dead all day while I was working at the library. It was only when I returned back to my dorm and waited until my phone turned back on that I realized that the meeting had already started fifty minutes prior, and after finding that on my bike, not one but both tires had been somehow been popped, I had to sprint to catch the next university bus, get off at the exit nearest to the house, and made a mad-dash to get there.

That was two minutes ago. I check my phone nervously and I mentally curse at myself. Not only had I missed the kissing-booth event due to a certain someone not allowing me to leave their apartment while I suffered a minor allergy sinus cold. (I concluded after seeing that there was a gross amount of moldy leaves on cars that been parked along the house that my allergy to various types of molds must been excited by the freak rain storm we had the night of the barbecue).

The sorority is sure to hate me, Crissy is probably far passed disappointed, and I am expecting a causal 'we're letting you go' talk beginning with the phrase, beginning with 'can I see you for a moment?' from the head blonde herself, the same woman who said she saw potential in me. Tonights discussion is inevitable. I just pray that I'll be able to handle it without breaking down in front of all these greek princesses. They may seem genial up front, but I know that they talk poorly about me behind closed doors. I am the odd-man-out, the ugly duckling, whom of which will never blossom into a beautiful duck. I know they secretly want me out, and tonight they will get what they want.

My heart races inside of my chest. My thumb absentmindedly goes directly to my contacts and then hovers over Harrys name. I freeze, knowing now is not the time to talk to him. I'm growing too dependent on his sympathy, and considering I am the one who told him to back off, I need to take some of my own advice. I've never been a hypocrite, or at least I've strived not to be, and being emotionally attached to a boy should not change that.

I lock my nearly dead phone and glance back at the window next to the door. I don't see anyone coming or even in the room.

They're probably in the meeting hall. I tell myself and sigh in exhaustion.

Although its been several days since my sudden allergy attack, my body has yet to recover completely. Maybe its from the lack of caffeine in my system, but I am feeling more sluggish than usual. My thumbs press into my temples and I close my eyes in irritation. Deciding that it may be best to sit in order to clear my mind, I move to the glider bench beside the doorway. My face falls against my palms and I groan in frustration. A few weeks ago, my life seemed to finally be falling into shape; Harry and I were on reasonably steady ground, my grades were all in order, and my spot within the sorority seemed to be set in stone. Looking back on it, I was only fooling myself. I should know by now that nothing in my life is certain; every time I seem to be approaching some sort of happiness, a new toil is thrown into the mix and I'm left floundering.

I've walked out on several parties, missed a charity event, and now a meeting. I can feel my chances of sticking in this sorority slipping through my fingers like the sand in sandboxes that my mother never let me play in as a child. My throat dries and I try to calm my thoughts.

Maybe Crissy will forgive you. If you explain what happened, maybe she'll sympathise and give you another chance to win back her trust.

I begin to nod, telling myself that such a possibility may be probable, but then I shake my head wildly, knowing that cannot be the case.

Who am I kidding? If Crissy hears I was allowing her ex to take care of me, in hisapartment of all places, and he was the reason I missed the charity event, I'll not only be out of the sorority, but also out of a head after she bites it off. Nobody wants to hear that their ex was taking care of someone they have only known for a few months. It will only make the person wonder why they weren't good enough for their ex to do the same for them.